The Sweet Side

The heart of a Scottish kitchen is in its desserts.
These six will satisfy your inner baker  and dress up
any dinner party.

Let me come clean on an important culinary matter: We Scots
have a sweet tooth. We like to end a meal with something sweet.
Perhaps this has to do with our cold climate  where
comforting puddings, pies, and cakes are essential for warmth,
rather like our daily dependence on soup.

When I
was a child, there would be something sweet served every day for
high tea, a meal consisting of a simple savory course followed by
a cornucopia of sweet things, often known as tea breads 
a term that covers all manner of cakes, scones, and cookies
enjoyed with a cup of tea. In my house, these would have included
anything from shortbread to treacle scones dripping with butter to
macaroon-and-jam tart. Steamed puddings flooded in custard and
doused in cream are still beloved, but such elaborate treats are
these days reserved for weekends and special
occasions.

Oats, honey, and dried fruits 
and gentle spices such as ginger and cinnamon  are often
found in our desserts, as well as a preponderance of berries, and
probably raspberries most of all. Why? Well, ours are the best in
the world!

Of course, these ingredients make an
appearance in some of the desserts here, from a new-fashioned
oatmeal praline ice cream to Dundee cake with marmalade from my
own hometown and ? well, just a splash of whisky. Oh, did I forget
to mention? Apart from enjoying our sweets, we Scots also like a
wee dram.